The group's initial years were characterized by bubblegum songs that they were only allowed to sing on, with heavier self-penned rock songs as the b-sides. They achieved their first hit in 1970 with the release of Funny Funny. In the following months, Sweet released "Co-Co" and Poppa Joe, both achieving huge success in the charts. In 1971 they released the album "Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be", which consisted mostly of songs written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman.
Sweet's success continued with more glam rock and power pop oriented tunes, such as "Little Willy", "Wig Wam Bam", Hellraiser and Ballroom Blitz. By this time Sweet had a world-wide following, clocking up no less than 18 top 20 hit singles, and the guys were most notably popular in Germany and the U.K.
The group's members are perhaps best remembered for their very 'glam' outfits, featuring a lot of glitter, platform boots, chain mail shirts, and plenty of makeup. The group practically defining the camp extreme of the glam rock look, Steve Priest would later say it was very short-lived and only happened by accident, as some sort of ongoing rivalry between them and artists such as David Bowie and T. Rex. Everyone tried to outdo each other’s ridiculousness on Top Of The Pops. Sweet’s glam rock era lasted from 1972 to 1973.
In 1974, Sweet released Teenage Rampage, The Six Teens and Turn It Down, showing their desire to take a more hard rock direction. By this time tensions between the band and the songwriters and producer started to grow. The guys also pushed for more songwriting control, which increased tensions between them, the songwriters and producer.
In 1975, Sweet wrote, recorded and produced the smash hit Fox on the Run on their own, essentially severing ties with Chinn and Chapman. Following the song’s success, they released the acclaimed track Action. Their momentum went on, the band embarking their first U.S. tour.
After their recent success, Sweet released the “Give Us A Wink” album in 1976, which was notably heavy. It contained the single The Lies In Your Eyes, which achieved moderate success. A year later, in 1977, they released the album “Off The Record”, but singles such as Fever Of Love and Lost Angels failed to gain traction, partly due to bad marketing from their label. Despite this, the band continued to distance themselves from their earlier commercial ventures.
Sweet’s career was revitalized with the release of Love Is Like Oxygen in 1978. By this time Connolly had developed a drinking problem and started to be increasingly unreliable during recording sessions. Following a disastrous U.S. tour, he left the band officially in early 1979. The band continued on as a three piece band for three more years, releasing “Cut Above The Rest”, “Waters Edge”, and “Identity Crisis”. Priest took over most of the lead vocals until Sweet’s disbandment in 1981.
In 1985, Andy Scott and Mick Tucker re-formed Sweet with various new vocalists and bass players, the most notable being a 1986 reunion featuring Paul Mario Day (the first singer of Iron Maiden), keyboardist Phil Lanzon, and bass player Malcolm McNulty (who is now lead singer for fellow glam rock band Slade). Steve Priest was asked to join Tucker and Scott for the 1985 Australian tour, but declined at the last moment. Vocalist and bass player Jeff Brown joined in 1988. In 1991, Mick Tucker departed due to ill health, leaving Andy Scott as the only original member. He was replaced by German Bodo Schopf, and subsequently, Bruce Bisland. After Tucker's departure, Andy Scott changed the band's name to 'Andy Scott's Sweet'.
During this time, Brian Connolly, now in bad health, also performed with his version of Sweet. In 1981, he suffered multiple cardiac arrests, which permanently affected his health. He died on 9 February 1997, aged 51. He was cremated after a ceremony at Most Holy Name Roman Catholic Church at Old Mill Lane, Denham, Buckinghamshire and his ashes were scattered over the water by his adult daughters Nicola and Michelle. He also left an ex-wife, Marilyn, and a two-year-old son called Brian Junior (BJ) by his girlfriend Jean.
Michael Thomas (Mick) Tucker died 14 February 2002 in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire from leukemia, aged 54; his funeral took place 25 February 2002. He is buried in an unnamed grave in Chorleywood House cemetery. It is marked by a sleeping angel. A wooden bench with a brass plaque funded by fans as a dedication to Mick is also positioned in the grave's vicinity.[2] He left behind a widow, Jan, and a daughter Ayston from his first marriage to Pauline (†1979). According to Steve Priest: "He was the most underrated drummer that ever came out of England. He was the powerhouse of the band. He was technically marvellous. His timing was impeccable, but he had a lot of soul as well and he really felt what he was playing."
In 1994, Steve Priest published his autobiography “Are You Ready Steve?”, which was a raw expose of his time with Sweet and pre-Sweet. In 2006 he released Priest's Precious Poems, a CD of tracks largely consisting of his more recent material. In 2008, he came out of retirement to form his own version of Sweet, based in the US. A year later this band released a live CD called Live In America. In March 2020, he was admitted to a hospital in L.A. After battling pneumonia for a few months, he died on June 4th 2020 at the age of 72.
Andy Scott currently continues to tour with Sweet. In 2002, Sweet released a new album called Sweetlife. February 2006 saw the release of a new Suzi Quatro album, Back To The Drive, which was produced by Scott. In March 2012, Scott released a covers album called New York Connection. Scott teamed up with Suzi Quatro and Don Powell to release a CD called Quatro, Scott and Powell in 2017. Scott has continued to produce for bands throughout the years, currently being the producer for Novatines.
In recent years, Sweet's popularity has surged again. The song Ballroom Blitz was featured in 2016's Suicide Squad, while Fox on the Run was featured in the trailer for 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
Into The Night
Sweet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Into the night
Then I was out everybody shout
Into the night
I kinda was having lots of fun
Into the night
And now I've lost gotta count the cost
Into the night
I couldn't lose
When I was on top
I couldn't lose
But now it's all stopped
I wore a crown then began to frown
Into the night
I cast a spell and it fell on me
Into the night
I dig a hole 'cause I got no soul
Into the night
I hear a phone then began to moan
Into the night
I couldn't lose
When I was on top
I couldn't lose
But now it's all stopped
I'm in a sea floating on one knee
Into the night
I think I'll drown oh I'm going down
Into the night
Is this a dream in agolden beam
Into the night
I look up high and there's no sky
Into the night
I couldn't lose
When I was on top
I couldn't lose
But now it's all stopped
In Sweet's song "Into The Night," the singer reflects on his reign as a king, where he felt invincible and thought he had everything figured out. He had a lot of fun, but he got too caught up in his own success and ultimately ended up losing everything. He wears a crown and casts spells, but they no longer have any effect, and he finds himself alone and soulless.
The second verse speaks to the singer's realization of his current state. He couldn't lose before, but now everything has come to a stop. The following verses describe his descent into a place of despair and hopelessness, where he is floating in a sea and thinks he'll drown. The final line of the song, "I look up high and there's no sky," represents the character's sense of emptiness, as if everything that he knew to be true has disappeared.
The lyrics of "Into The Night" can be interpreted as a cautionary tale about getting too caught up in one's own success and losing sight of what is important. The repetition of the line "I couldn't lose when I was on top" reinforces the idea that hubris can inevitably lead to a downfall. The song's dark imagery, including the lack of sky and the character's soulless existence, further emphasizes the bleakness of this situation.
Line by Line Meaning
I was a king thought of everything
At one point, I had complete control over my life and was always thinking ahead
Into the night
The events that followed happened during the nighttime
Then I was out everybody shout
After that, I suddenly lost everything and everyone was celebrating my downfall
I kinda was having lots of fun
Before my downfall, I was enjoying myself and not thinking about the consequences
And now I've lost gotta count the cost
Now that I've experienced loss, I need to take responsibility for my actions and their consequences
I couldn't lose
When I was on top
I couldn't lose
But now it's all stopped
I once felt invincible but now I am facing the reality of my defeat
I wore a crown then began to frown
Into the night
I was initially happy with my power but then started to feel unhappy
I cast a spell and it fell on me
Into the night
I tried to control the situation with a spell but it ended up causing my own downfall
I dig a hole 'cause I got no soul
Into the night
I am digging myself into a hole because I have lost my sense of self
I hear a phone then began to moan
Into the night
I am feeling helpless and was upset by a phone call
I'm in a sea floating on one knee
Into the night
I am adrift and feel like I am barely holding on
I think I'll drown oh I'm going down
Into the night
I am sinking and feel like I might not be able to recover
Is this a dream in a golden beam
Into the night
I am questioning reality and don't know what to believe
I look up high and there's no sky
Into the night
I feel like I am in a dark place and can't see a way out
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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